IntroIf you have used XBMC on another platform and want to get it running on the DS Media Play, here are some things I've learned after 2-3 days of working to get it set up. I'll refer to XBMC even though we're now in the age of Kodi/Tofu*. Replace in path names as appropriate. These comments will focus on choosing Linux. A quick start guide for Android is here: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1884

Get a micro SD CardYou're going to need one, so get one now.

Choose Android or LinuxThe first thing you have to do is choose between whether to run XBMC on Android or Linux. I first tried Android, where it runs as an app, and found it far too sluggish. If you only want to run XBMC/Kodi, it is much more responsive on Linux, by experience and consensus. Unfortunately Pivos has decided to stop development for Linux to focus on Android (a policy which hopefully will be changed). The last official build for Linux is XBMC Frodo 12.2, but see below.

There are also more current XBMC Gotham and Kodi Helix community builds. (If you do opt for Android, apparently Pivos has rebranded their official builds as TOFU for reasons apparently known only to them.) Note that there are separate builds also according the the unit hardware version (M1 or M3). Newer units would presumably be M3, but check.

Flash a new firmware and prep for XBMCFormat your mSD as FAT32. Copy your chosen .img firmware file to the root. For Linux builds, make a directory at the root called "xbmc-data" or "kodi-data" as appropriate. At this point, copy your existing XBMC data folder, the one that contains "addons" and "userdata", etc. Move it later.

Restore by holding a paperclip in the reset hole at bottom of device and holding down the green button for a few seconds. (There are other methods, but this is simple.) Wipe the device and install the new firmware. Let XBMC run once. If you created the folder above, it will be linked from the internal device storage, and become the new parent directory for your userdata folder. (For more on the importance of this, and details of the process, see: http://www.pivosforums.com/viewtopic.php?p=44933 Shut down XBMC/Kodi.

So now move your actual data folder's contents there. (i.e.: addons, media, sounds, system, userdata). Now you're basically good to go, and everything should more or less work as with your last platform.

Remotes and XBMC shutdown modIf you're using a universal remote or plan to, here are some considerations:

The Harmony profile for the DS Media Play has more buttons available than the included remote, but some fudging/customization may be needed. Switching from the Apple TV to the Pivos (while now also still using a newer Apple TV), I found mapping the hard menu button to "return" to be more natural, but that meant using another hard button for the menu function.

Once you're up and running you can access your box by SSH or FTP. See: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4964 SCP is apparently also available, but SFTP is not, from what I so far understand.

The root password is "letmein" by default. You'll want to navigate according to the path given above. (Note that on some systems, directories starting with a period (like .xbmc) will be invisible by default and you may have to show invisible files in an FTP client, etc.)